Campaign for greater data protection awareness in Kenya

The Kenyan constitution enshrines the right to privacy as a fundamental right – this also applies to the processing of personal data. However, according to a survey, the vast majority of Kenyans have never exercised their right to privacy in cases where identity theft may have occurred or where people have been harassed through fraudulent phone numbers. Overall, little attention is paid to the protection of personal data. In order to increase data protection awareness, the Kenyan Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) has commissioned an awareness campaign, which is supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GIZ (German Society for International Cooperation).

flmh developed an awareness campaign with the slogan “Data Yako, Jukumu Lako” (“Your data, your responsibility”), which is aimed primarily at people with a lower level of education in rural regions. The campaign uses concrete examples from everyday life and shows the consequences of careless handling of personal data and how people can protect themselves against this. At the same time, the campaign drew the attention of multipliers and young programmers to the topic in order to win them over as ambassadors for data protection.

At the start of the project, flmh organised a hackathon in Nairobi in May 2024. From over 700 applications, 30 participants were selected to spend three days developing innovative data security applications. This was followed by a roadshow through six Kenyan provinces to communicate the topic with dance, music, and quiz shows. A nationwide media campaign with TV and radio spots ran in parallel. In collaboration with Kenya’s best-known animation studio FATBOY, three videos were produced that shed light on different aspects of data protection. The campaign was complemented by customised content for social media.